Clothing & Apparel Tariff Rates 2026: US Import Duties by Country & HTS Code

What This Covers

The clothing and apparel surcharge applies to garments, knitwear, woven clothing, and textile accessories classified under HTS chapters 61-62. This sector already carries some of the highest base tariff rates in the US schedule, averaging 16.5% before any additional surcharges are applied. After the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA reciprocal tariffs on February 20, 2026, all apparel-exporting countries faced a flat 10% Section 122 tariff (in effect February 24 – July 24, 2026) instead of the widely varying country-specific rates that ranged from 10% to 49%. The 10% Section 122 tariff expired at its 150-day statutory limit on July 24, 2026 and was replaced the same day by the Section 301 forced-labor tariff — a two-tier 10%/12.5% duty on roughly 60 economies, with most major exporters (including China) in the 12.5% tier and a smaller group in the 10% tier. EU-origin apparel became a special case on July 1, 2026: under the EU-US trade deal, goods with MFN rates of 15% or higher — which covers most apparel at the 16.5% average — pay MFN only, with no surcharge at all. For Asian exporters, the shift to a uniform 10% represented enormous relief from the steepest reciprocal rates.

Most Affected Countries

China remains the most burdened apparel source due to Section 301 surcharges stacking on top of the 12.5% forced-labor tariff, keeping Chinese garments significantly more expensive than alternatives. Vietnam, which had faced a punishing 46% IEEPA rate, now pays 12.5% under the forced-labor tariff — a reduction that restores its competitiveness as a low-cost apparel manufacturing hub. Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment exporter, benefits from an even more dramatic drop, from 37% down to the forced-labor tariff's 10% tier, reinforcing its position as the go-to source for fast fashion and basics. India and Indonesia similarly see their rates collapse to the 10% tier, reopening price-competitive sourcing from these markets.

How Surcharges Stack

Apparel tariff stacking has become substantially less severe following the SCOTUS ruling. A cotton shirt from Vietnam with a 16.5% base rate now faces the additional 12.5% forced-labor tariff, for a combined rate of roughly 29% — compared to over 60% under the old IEEPA regime. For Chinese apparel, the 16.5% base rate stacks with Section 301 surcharges and the 12.5% forced-labor tariff, creating combined rates that still approach 50% on certain garment categories. Bangladesh-origin garments see their total burden drop to approximately 26.5% (16.5% base + 10% forced-labor tariff), down from over 53% under the old 37% IEEPA rate. USMCA-qualifying apparel from Mexico enters duty-free if it meets the yarn-forward rule of origin. Section 122 expired July 24, 2026 and was replaced the same day by the Section 301 forced-labor tariff (Vietnam 12.5%, Bangladesh 10%).

Sourcing Strategies

This sector is two schedules: chapter 61 (knit apparel) and chapter 62 (woven apparel). They share the country stack and do not share a single MFN line. The table splits a sample of each. USMCA apparel still depends on the yarn-forward rule described in the sourcing notes above; the category percent is not that claim.